bearded balding & exploring what it means to be human & alive in this world

on being human & alive in the world

There’s a lot out there on the topic of love. Some of it is great and a lot of it is crap. But there’s one thing in all of those conversations we’re not talking about enough and that’s the one thing it takes to make love work.

If you make stuff (art, literature, music, sermons, whatever) for a living and offer it to the world around you, you know the risk it entails: having your heart broken. It can be a life full of joy but it can also really really hurt. Here are some thoughts on hate mail and how to surrender to that risk.

Trying to figure out who you are and what you're doing with your life? Ive been there. Here’s something I wish someone had told me as I was figuring out all of that. It's something I think we all need to hear.

whether you call it personal development, spiritual growth, or life long learning, we're all talking about the same thing: becoming more human and alive in the world. If you're like me and trying to make the most of this life, here are four necessities for being human.

relationships are tough, aren't they? While I've vowed to never be one of those “4 Things That’ll Change Your Life!” kind of writers, here are 4 things Ive learned about relationships … that could very well change yours (seriously): owning it; its okay for things to be just okay; growing, together; and 2 ways of doing everything.

on faith & politics

there is a lot of talk about how we are supposed to deal with immigrants and refugees. its an important question. when we look to what the Bible says, we see God consistently saying one thing about what we are supposed to do when immigrants and refugees knock on our doors: "make some room."

I dont try to stand out in a crowd but this time was different. I wanted to make a statement. And so as I got ready to attend an event to celebrate Pride, I very intentionally put on the one thing I would make me stand out: my clerical collar, aka: my priest shirt.

Why does Jesus show up as a stranger? Its a good question and one that asks us some questions of its own: 'how can we be strangers to others' and 'what do we do with the strangers in our own lives and worlds?'

Fear is one of the most powerful emotions we can experience. The question becomes: what do we do with it? How do we navigate through it? Maybe the way through it is the same way Jesus gave the first disciples when they were rumbling with all kinds of fear: peace and breath.

why is Palm Sunday a big deal for us? It doesnt just send us into Holy Week or name Jesus as 'the Christ,' it also tells us a very important truth about what it means to be human and alive in this world: there are two ways to do everything - the way of power and the way of love.

In 2017 there were 65 million people displaced in our world. Thats 1 in 113 people. As we have conversations about what to do with immigration and refugees, we need to know how to have that conversation as people of faith and spirituality. We need to ask: 'what is God saying to us about this? Turns out, God is saying something we need to hear.

There are a lot of really crazy stories in the Bible. While we could ignore them, we could also ask why they were told and see if they still have some wisdom for us today. One of my favs is really nuts: it's about a bald guy who makes some bears to eat some kids. We could dismiss it, or we could hear its wisdom: beware what happens when we snap and lose control.

there is a movement to grace: God comes into our sickness, our brokenness, and deaths, takes us by the hand, lifts us up out of it, and leads us back into health, back into wholeness, and back into life as it was meant to be. The question it leaves us with is 'how will we be stewards of that life and love?'

We all have power. Whether its our words, actions, presence, or how we spend our money, we all have the ability to influence the people and world around us. The question is: how do we use that power? Do we use it for our own benefit or do we use it for the benefit of the people and world around us?